Acts 17:10-15 (ESV)

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.

Paul and Silas are starting to look like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as they get chased all over Greece by the Thessalonian Jewish posse. Yet Paul continues to preach in synagogues.

It turns out that the Berean synagogue is a better venue than the one in Thessalonica. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

But here comes the posse. When the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds.

So, how come this rabble-rousing works? Paul and Silas didn’t cause any trouble. Yet these idiots are able to ride in, stir up trouble, and blame it all on Paul. I understand how Nero could blame the burning of Rome on the Christians – he had the power to pull it off – but these guys are nobodies. How’d they do it?

Well, as it is with most evil messages, there’s a grain of truth mixed in with their lies. In the previous passage they said, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” Except for the part about them acting against the decrees of Caesar, that’s basically all true.

But notice the spin. Yes, “these men” have turned the world upside down, but in a good way. The posse guys make it sound like they’re destroying civilization. Also, Paul has indeed been saying that there is another king, Jesus – but His kingdom is not of this world. It doesn’t threaten Caesar.

Unlike the Jews in the Berean synagogue, the crowds on the streets weren’t examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. So they’re easy to dupe into rioting.

This is how persecution works. “Useful idiots” are duped by the forces of evil.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Useful_idiot

We pray for the persecuted church a lot; let’s pray for the persecutors. They need to learn introspection. Though they don’t deserve our sympathy, let’s give it to them. Ask the Lord to wake them up.

The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies